The Dead Poet's Society

The very concept and aspect brought up in Welton Academy leads to the main ideas aroused in the structure of the school and the minds of the teachers.  Mr. Keating, the new literature teacher at Welton Academy, had actually been a student himself there and stresses to all his students to "sieze the day" and be themselves, however hard that journey is.  Mr. Keating, through his lessons, shows the break from the usual old, white, strict men who teach at the school.  The structure of the change shows the viewer that the majority of society is contained under conformity, it is safe for everyone to a degree, and the few that are nonconformists are ostracized from the civil world, as Mr. Keating was at the end of the movie.  These dangers of being individuals are shown through unsuccessful efforts, in creating the Dead Poet's Society itself, and trying to grasp the true meaning of speaking out for what the individual believes in, which could be devastating unless perservered no matter what anyone says.

Unfortunately, growing up in a household full of conformists ideas can become the downfall of someone.  No one trusts anybody more than their parents, and Neil, who went to Welton Academy and created the ideas to ressurect the Dead Poet's Society, grew up with his parents ideas of him to become a doctor and be successful in that career.  These ideas inflicted on him made him feel constrained, while all along he aspired to become an actor, something he would himself be proud of.  When his father decided that he mustn't become an actor, and sending him off to a new school where he would not have such opportunities, Neil decided he had no way out.  He killed himself, and taking his own life, through death, led him to stand out from his family and drove him to die himself in every aspect.  These dangers, of being ridiculed and persecuted for being different, when it is truly who the individual is, is why conformity is so hazardous towards society, making people feel like they cannot be themselves without consequences, while conformity itself already has enough as it is.

Modern Transcendentalists

In society today, singers, actors and performers, athletes, and leading executives create the foundation of the “normal” or “extravagant.  Today, successful singers and actors are always portrayed with the best clothes, they are beautiful, and thin.  A modern day transcendentalist, someone who sets themselves away from the common misconceptions and same trends, and shows that they are beautiful in their own ways; they accept who they are and use that to their advantage.  Although Lady Gaga seems to be all but ordinary, Adele, a singer who has made differences into something that is beautiful because it is her own in her very unique way.  

Adele grew up with a family who were all but musical.  She idolized The Cure, Etta James, and Jill Scott, diverse artists that broadcast her own differences.  Adele’s voice is set apart from all others in the music business; currently auto-tune can create a falsely decent voice, whereas hers is low and rough, but beautiful.  Adele recently quit smoking, but through that her voice became different, and that is what set her apart from others in her same business.  She accepts her differences and uses them to become a great artist.  Her resonating, soulful voice is what makes her stand out of a crowd of other singers, making her voice heard and appreciated for the true range and power behind it.

Adele also stands apart from the crowd in appearance.  She is equally beautiful as any other star out there, but what is different is that she is heavier than them as well.  She is happy the way she is, being portrayed on the cover of the October issue of Vogue.  In the media, many people are rail thin, unlike Adele, and she accepts herself, which became one of her biggest assets.  Her strengths, let alone in singing and her self image, has become a lead role in the star she has become.  Through her differences, she has gained one of the biggest knowledge of others, that ridicule comes through the differences of weight in society, but she is comfortable with herself.  This strength allows her to be an amazing singer, performer, and person and portrays herself as a transcendentalist because her differences has caused her success through her image and talent.  http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2011/02/album-review-adele-21

Works Cited: "Adele Talks Body Image Pride, Pre-Show Sickness In Vogue UK." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/06/adele-talks-weight-pre-show-puke_n_950000.html>.

Walden Essay

Two years, two months, and two days; that is how long Henry David Thoreau, a transcendentalist, who ventured to live by Walden Pond to declare independence from the gradually progressing society, and to experiment with self reliance on noble well beings.  Through this, he resulted in cataloging the indigenous plants and isolated himself from society to gain a biased understanding of the growing world.  He lived simply and self sufficiently, and his purpose of this experiment was to give himself the understanding of day to day growth in society and the effects on the world and life.  However, he also grew spiritually, realizing what life really had to offer. "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Walden,490).  Although many people would have thought his actions were preposterous, living completely secluded from society, his individualizations categorized the new change of beliefs that greatly influenced the future of many others today.

Through Thoreau’s two year stay at Walden Pond, his life was strictly limited.  His simplicity shows that the only necessities in life were food, water, fuel, and shelter and left every other luxury as unnecessary.  He souly discovered that in life, humans crave “better” equipment and technology every day, while in reality, the only necessities are those four main things.  This discovery shows society that the expansion is what people desire, progress and technology have grown this new society, but does society indeed need it to function? No, but through the self dependency humans have given and fed this growth is what ails the conflict of whether people feel the need to live such a complicated life.  The simplicity Thoreau showed through his stay at Walden Pond has allowed the ideas of simplistic living thrive through many social groups and have given people a wider view of the world in today’s society.

Thoreau based his spiritual growth from his isolation on the progress of society, through understanding the effects of technology and manufacturing.  The progress of today, even though the average person generally will never realize it, has had negative effects on nature and the world.  Manufacturing poisons fresh water supplies and trash litters the once green earth.  Today, new technological devices come out every day, having an impact on how much of a complicated life is lived, as well as damaging the environment.  Through Thoreau’s writing, he illustrates his views on this change, and catalogued the plants around Walden Pond.  Global Warming has effected these plants, and today scientists use his information to show the true damages and affects Global Warming has on the world, even in a forest near Concord, Massachussetts.  He challenges today’s advances to the greater good, showing that the world, the environment, and nature is effected harshly by technology and manufacturing, and started the ideas of the Green Earth Movement.  Now, society has a better grasp of how manufacturing does affect our lives, even though it may not seem like it effects everyone individually.  Recycling, planting trees, and cleaning the environment have driven through lives across the world, and through the writings of Thoreau, the understanding of the simply beautiful world that lies beneath the feet of humanity has been understood and welcomed into the lives of those who live in this new millenium every day.

Henry David Thoreau spent only two years, two months, and two days at Walden Pond.  Through his writings he conducted while living there, today everyone has a better understanding of the world around them.  He opened up the door that had been blocked by the manufacturing movement era, and opened society’s eyes to how a simpler and easier life everyone could live.  The luxury items society craves, the technology it adores, and the filth it leaves behind that cannot be taken away is unnecessary for the survival of humanity.  This new awakening has effected lives all over the world, and the writings of Henry David Thoreau are existential to the new green technology and the beliefs in society of today, a hundred and sixty-six years since his actual stay at Walden Pond.